I am currently looking at getting a SP and have found one second hand cheap.

Problem is thats its 6'0 x 23 x 3 1/4. I am only 5'11 and weigh 165 lbs.. Would you advice going for this option or is it just going to be way too big? I'll mainly been using it for 1-3ft sloppy surf. I currently ride a 5'10 regular short board if this helps..

I am currently looking at getting a SP and have found one second hand cheap.

Problem is thats its 6'0 x 23 x 3 1/4. I am only 5'11 and weigh 165 lbs.. Would you advice going for this option or is it just going to be way too big? I'll mainly been using it for 1-3ft sloppy surf. I currently ride a 5'10 regular short board if this helps..

Let me know if it will be waste of money..

Owen

ps. sorry for the thread highjack

Too much volume for your frame!!!. 5'2" is the call, for sure the guy is selling cause he found it too big

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I'm to looking transition from a longboard to a shortboard and want to get a sweet potato. I've been surfing two years and currently ride a 9ft longboard. I live in New York and do most of my surfing on western Long Island where the waves are usually less than stellar. It does get big and hollow at times but small, mushy conditions are more the norm. I'm 32 years old, 5'10, 150lbs. I'm in good shape and I've gotten pretty serious about surfing as much as possible this past year (serious enough to be in the water in February at least).

My question of course is what length I should get. According to the Firewire volume calculator I should get a 5'8" (based on beg/int ability and avg fitness). While this seems like a safe choice I'm not sure it's the right one. I'm guessing it would paddle better than something shorter but I'm concerned about sacrificing maneuverability. Even though I know there'll be a learning curve I want to be able to ride this board the way its meant to be surfed and I'm willing to put in the time to learn. That being said I don't want to spend all my time just trying to catch waves on a board that's too short for my ability.

All of the previous posts encourage going shorter but it'd be great to hear people's opinions on what length they think would be right for me. Thanks.

I'm to looking transition from a longboard to a shortboard and want to get a sweet potato. I've been surfing two years and currently ride a 9ft longboard. I live in New York and do most of my surfing on western Long Island where the waves are usually less than stellar. It does get big and hollow at times but small, mushy conditions are more the norm. I'm 32 years old, 5'10, 150lbs. I'm in good shape and I've gotten pretty serious about surfing as much as possible this past year (serious enough to be in the water in February at least).

My question of course is what length I should get. According to the Firewire volume calculator I should get a 5'8" (based on beg/int ability and avg fitness). While this seems like a safe choice I'm not sure it's the right one. I'm guessing it would paddle better than something shorter but I'm concerned about sacrificing maneuverability. Even though I know there'll be a learning curve I want to be able to ride this board the way its meant to be surfed and I'm willing to put in the time to learn. That being said I don't want to spend all my time just trying to catch waves on a board that's too short for my ability.

All of the previous posts encourage going shorter but it'd be great to hear people's opinions on what length they think would be right for me. Thanks.

How's your level as far as surf goes? Any problems popping up and going down the line?. Have you tried any shortboards before?. Have you taken a look at the potatonator?. Pretty sweet board as well

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How's your level as far as surf goes? Any problems popping up and going down the line?. Have you tried any shortboards before?. Have you taken a look at the potatonator?. Pretty sweet board as well

I feel really comfortable popping up and going down the line, left or right. I've been working at getting better at maneuvering on the wave but I'm not doing cutbacks. I haven't had the opportunity to try a shortboard before. I rode a 7ft board in Costa Rica back in November and felt completely comfortable on it. I know the transition to something under 6ft would be more difficult though.

@150lbs, even the 5'4" will be tons of volume for you. At this point the length will be issue here. I remember when I got my first potato it was a 5'6", and @187lbs it felt like a boat to me. It floated me more than enough, paddle the crap like a dream but wasn't moving enough,hence I changed it for a 5'2".
Given that you have already made up your mind for the potato, I believe the 5'4" will be sort of a good compromise. Again this is only because you have already made your mind for it, I would rather go for something a little more transitional...

@ JohnNYC- until this past sept, i never rode a board under 9ft. i've been in the water my whole life from bodysurfing to longboarding. i know i can ride boards under 5'10 w less volume and all that, but the difference between myself and a person who rode a short board the whole time is that i'm accustomed to riding w more volume. it might b the same for u too. u are pretty lite tho, but r taller as well so i dont know if i'd go 5'4 for my first shortboard. i will say that once u get use to 7ft board, it gets just as easy to trim down from there. depending how much water time is the key. i surf a lot and the transition was probably quicker for me than most. firewires r easy to resell, as long as they're not bigger than 6ft. dont get me wrong tho, ur going to surf whatever u buy, big or small, but u shud try to demo some first to see where ur skill level is to see what volume u like.

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150lbs, even the 5'4" will be tons of volume for you. At this point the length will be issue here. I remember when I got my first potato it was a 5'6", and 187lbs it felt like a boat to me. It floated me more than enough, paddle the crap like a dream but wasn't moving enough,hence I changed it for a 5'2".
Given that you have already made up your mind for the potato, I believe the 5'4" will be sort of a good compromise. Again this is only because you have already made your mind for it, I would rather go for something a little more transitional...

I wouldn't say that I've made my mind up about getting this board. I have decided that I would like to be able to surf a shorter board in a more aggressive style but I'm definitely open to suggestions about how to get to that point and which board will help me get there. The reason I gravitated towards the Sweet Potato was that it's able to be ridden in small, mushy conditions and still be very responsive. I don't know if this is the best thread for it but I'm totally open to suggestions.

I hear ya, the issue with the potato family is that they pack lots of volume, which makes them float a lot even on the smaller sizes. I know you have discarted the addvance already but at this point I will point you towards the dominator or potatonator, both very user friendly boards, alowing you to go a bit longer keeping an adequate volume. Besides you are still keeping the longboard for those really small days right

If you want to surf more aggressively, go with the Baked Potato (BP). With your weight, the 5'1 BP would be good. A 5'3" won't hurt either...the extra volume should allow you to catch those weak waves you talk about very easily. Go to the store and see which board size calls to you first! haha!

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I ride a 6'0 Sweet Potato and find the size works really well for me. I am 61 years old and weigh around 165 pounds. I catch a ton of waves on the board . My other board is a 6'10 Addvance which I ride in bigger waves